The Austin Police Department on Thursday released body camera footage, surveillance video, and 911 call recordings from the March 1 mass shooting outside Buford's bar on West 6th Street that killed three people and injured 16 others.
The footage shows the chaotic scene as patrons fled the area while the suspect, identified as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, carried what Police Chief Lisa Davis described as an AR-15 rifle. Body camera video captured officers advancing toward the gunman before a barrage of gunfire ended the encounter.
Davis said the video was "difficult to hear" and "difficult to see." The Travis County District Attorney's office this week cleared the three officers who fired their weapons, calling them "heroes," according to CNN.
Investigators say Diagne drove a black Cadillac SUV alongside the bar around 1:58 a.m. and fired a pistol into a crowd on the patio. He then parked, exited with a rifle, and continued shooting at pedestrians before officers confronted and killed him at the intersection of West 6th Street and West Avenue.
The three victims were identified as 19-year-old Ryder Harrington, 21-year-old Savitha Shan, and 30-year-old Jorge Pederson, who died after being taken off life support on March 2. Two people remain hospitalized, including one in critical condition.
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The shooting occurred roughly 26 hours after the United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran on Feb. 28. Diagne was wearing a sweatshirt reading "Property of Allah," and a T-shirt with an Iranian flag design, and authorities found an Iranian flag and photos of Iranian leaders at his home, the New York Times reported.
The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force has joined the investigation, calling the incident a "potential act of terrorism." Acting Special Agent in Charge Alex Doran said it remains "far too early" to determine a specific motive but acknowledged "indicators" suggesting a possible link to terrorism.
Diagne, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Senegal, was not previously known to the FBI or Austin police. Both firearms used in the attack were legally purchased in San Antonio in 2017.
First responders arrived within 57 seconds of the initial 911 call. APD said 19 people total, including the gunman, were struck by gunfire, as per Fox7Austin.
